Meat holder



Patented June 11, 1935.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 111., assignors to Industrial Patents Corpora-, tion, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware f Application September 3,1932, SerialNoJi31g6'l4 .5 Claims. -(o1. 146-417),

This invention relates to meat slicing mae chines and particularly'revolves about the cona struction and arrangement of aholding, grip- A ping or clamping plate provided with bored openings on the meat engaging face thereof,

whereby the meat engaged and clamped in place by the holding plate will be firmly held during the slicing'operation in a manner whereby the meat thus gripped will not tend to shift under the influence of the action of the slicing element and in a mannerwhereby the meat'will not be torn ormutilated by thegripping action of the holding plate.

The invention is particularly adaptable for use in the conventional or ordinary slicing machines such as used in retail stores, and is particularly adaptable for use in the slicing of products such as ham, shaped meats in the form I of blocks or the like, et cetera.

' Referring now to the drawing in detail:

Figure 1 is .an end view of a conventional or ordinary slicingmachine typical of the class of machines to which the present invention is applicable, and to'which it is shown applied.

Fig. 2 is a view showing the holding plate and the adjustable transversely extending carrier bar therefor to which the holding plate is secured and by which it is carried. A transverse end elevation of the holding plate ispractically shown in this figure.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken as on the plane indicated by the line 33 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the "arrows. In Figure 3, the carrier bar isshown in section; practically an unobstructed sideview ofv holding plate appears in this figure.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the transversely ex tending carrier bar and of the holding plate carried thereby.

Reference will now be made detail:

Therein, I designates the frame of the machine and thereupon, there is carried in any suitable manner a longitudinally moved or fed table 2 upon which the meat is carried and. to 'which'the meat is clampedwhile being sliced. The machinehas any suitable'cutting element as revolving cutter 3. "The slicing operation is performed by effecting 'a' relatively transverse cutting movementbetween the table on the one hand and the cutter 3 on the other hand.

In the constructionshown,. the cutter'3 is revolvably mounted upon'a'carrying part 4 therefor and the machine embodies mechanismnot 55 shown-which is operated by hand wheel 5 which effects a periodic transverse relative cutting movement-as between the cutter and the table and also for automatically effecting a forward longitudinal feed of the table and more particularly of the meat thereupon so as to to the drawing in the bring successive portions of the meat to and under the action of the cutter. The mechanism whereby these cutting and feedingmovements are accomplished is well known and further description in respect thereto is unnecessary at this time.

The table 2 has any suitable in usual up:

standing bars or standards 6 and there is dctachably'and adjust'ably secured thereto apositionable transversely extending carrier bar This carrier bar l is held in position on the upright standards in any well known way. v

The transversely extending carrier bar 1' supports or has depending therefrom a meat clamping element'or member 8 that comprises a.1ug 9 which is loosely but pivotally connected to the carrier bar 1 through the medium of a longitudinally extending pin or bolt l0. This piv-' otal connection is such as will allow a transverse swinging movement and also a longitudinal tilt-' ing movement to take place when or as the clamping member 8 is brought in position for clamping and holding a piece of ham loaf to and upon the table. v p

The clamping member 8 also includes a curved plate II to the upper forward part of which the lug is welded as at I2. This plate "-535 ap: pears in Figure 2 -'is curved in transverse cross sectionpwhereby there exist side portions l3 and l3 thereof that extend outwardly and downwardly; These side portions terminate in horizontally and outwardly extending ends or end portions I4 and i 5. 'It Will be observed that sub. stantially the entire under or meat engaging surface of the curved plate II is interspersed with bored openings l6 relatively uniformly arranged therein. An inspection of Figures 3'and 4 will show that these bored openings are arranged in rows both transversely'and longitudinally, they are approximately of an inch in diameter, extend through the plate, and are spaced approximately of an inch. center to center both longitudinallyand transversely. The underside or meat engaging surface of the holding plate II is relatively straightexceptwhere interrupted by the holes -in longitudinal direction. With thearrangement of the holes as shown, it will be noted that the plate can serve when pressed downwardly against the meat to firmly grip and hold the latterin place on the table but in a manner which will not tendto rupture or tear the meatthus held.

An inspection of Figure. S shows that the lug 9 is secured to the plate at or near the forward end thereof. In other Words,-there is nothing to firmly resist the upward movement of the rear end of the gripping or holding plate as the plate 7 is pressed. downwardly against the meat. In

short, the result of this construction. is that the" or meat being held both in a lonigtudinal direction and in a transverse direction because of the fact that the lug can tilt longitudinally and can swing transversely about the bolt l0 and the meat being sliced is more firmly gripped in the region or locality near the cutting plane and it is less firmly gripped and pressed in the region more remote from the cutting plane. This construction has been arranged because applicant desires the meat to be held the more securely in the immediate vicinity where the cutting forcesapply and have the greatest tendency to move or shift the meat relative to'the table upon which the meat is supported. The holding plate is preferably made of relatively thin sheet material, for example, sheet metal plate approximately of an inch in thickness and in the actual manufactllre thereof, afterthe welding of the lug thereupon, the holding member 8 is preferably gal- .vanized-or tinned.

What is claimed is:

l. A meat slicing machine comprising in combination a frame, a table for supporting and holding the meat while being sliced, upright standards on said table, a meat cutting element, means for effecting relatively transverse reciprocatory movement between the meat cutting element on the one hand and said table on the other hand, whereby a cutting operation can be carried out on meat while supported on and by said table, and'means for effecting longitudinal feed of the table inaccordance with the periodic relative movement between the cutter and the table, said slicing machine being characterized in that it has employed in conjunction with said upright standards on the table a transversely extending vertically positionable carrying bar.

from which there is pivotallysupported a gripping and holding plate, which plate in transverse cross section on the underside thereof is concave buthas straight, longitudinally extending elements, and which plate has holes bored therein so as to provide a perforated gripping surface on theunderside thereof. o

2. A meat slicingomachine comprising in combination a frame, a table for supporting and holding the meat while being sliced, upright standards in said table, a meat cutting element, means for effecting relatively transversely reciprocatory movement between the meat cutting element on the one hand and said table on the other hand, whereby a cutting operation can becarried out on meat while supported on and by said table, and means foreifecting longitudinal. feed of the table in accordance with the periodic relative movement between the cutter and the table, said slicing machine being characterized in that it has employed in conjunction with said upright standards on the table a transversely 7 extending vertically positionable carrying bar from which there is pivotally supported a gripping and holding plate, which plate in transverse cross section on theunderside thereof is concave but which has straight, longitudinally extending elements, and which plate has holes bored therein so as to provide a perforated gripping surface on the underside thereof, said holes being approximately three-eighths of an inch in diameter and relatively uniformly arranged throughout the gripping surface on half-inch centers.

3. A: gripping member for use in a meat slicing which plate straight, longitudinally extending meat engagmachine comprising a carrying lug and a perforated meat engaging sheet of rolled metal plate approximately. three thirty-seconds of an inch in thickness, the forward portion'of which plate the meat engaging sheet in transverse cross section being concave so that in said transverse cross section it curves downwardly and outwardly and terminates in horizontally and outwardly extending ends or edge portions, and in longitudinal direction has standards on said table; a meat cutting element, means for effecting relatively transverse reciprocatory movement between the meat cut ting element on the ,one handand: said; table on the other hand, whereby a cuttingoperation can be carried out on;meat while supportedi on and by said table,-and means for effecting longitudinal feed of the table in accordance with the periodic relative movement between the cutter and the'table, said slicingmachine being characterized in that it has employed in conjunction with said uprightstandards on; thetable a transversely extendingvertically positionable carrying bar from which there is pivotally supported a gripping'and holding plate, which plate in transverse cross section on the underside thereof is concave but which has straight, longitudinally extending elements, said-gripping and holding plate being loosely mounted in respect to the transverse bar and freely swinging from said mounting whereby the gripping member is free to adjust itself by a transverse swinging movement relative to the meat engaged thereby said plate being mounted by means at the end of the plate in the approximate vicinity of the cutting plane, and which. said gripping plate has holes bored therein so as to provide a perforated gripping surface on the underside there- 5. A gripping or holdingplate for ameat slicing machine mounted upon, a transversely extending vertically positionable carrying bar which said carrying bar is in turn movable upon upright standards, said gripping and holding plate being pivotally supported on said carrying bar, said gripping and holding plate being loosely mounted in respect to the transverse bar and freely swinging from said mounting whereby the gripping member is free to adjust itself by a transverse swinging movement relative to the meat engaged thereby, said plate being mounted by means at the end of the plate in' the approximate vicinity of the cutting plane, and which said gripping plate'has holes bored therein so as to provide a perforated gripping surface on the underside thereof. 

